2
“Damn it, Gareth. My wedding is in a few weeks. You couldn’t wait until after that to take off?” Dylan questioned.
“Hey, you know me. I can’t sit in the office that long. Besides, all that talk about weddings and babies was driving me nuts. At this rate, you guys will be lucky if I come back to work at all.” There was part of him that wasn’t joking. He never wanted to work for Lawson Steel. Not in the aspect he was. He enjoyed meeting with customers and doing background research, but the day-to-day routine bored the hell out of him.
“Charles is pissed that you disappeared too. We were counting on you to pick up the slack.”
“Dylan, what slack is there? Seth practically lives in the office and looks like he’s in heaven. Jordan and Ethan are backing you and Charles. What exactly is it that should hold me there?” The silence confirmed it. He wasn’t really needed.
“Gareth, I get it more than any of the others. We’re the jeans and T-shirt guys. But Lawson Steel belongs to all six of us. No one wants to step on your toes and make decisions for you.”
“And you don’t have to. I’ll be back. What really can happen in a few weeks?”
“My wedding,” Dylan reminded him.
Gareth laughed. “Oh yeah. That. Since I’m your best man, you should know I’ll be back in time.”
“And because you’re my best man, I’d have thought you’d be here.”
Fuck.He could hear the disappointment in Dylan’s voice. His brother needed him there. Gareth wanted to explain to him he wasn’t just fucking around. What better wedding gift could he give Dylan than securing the family’s good name stayed just that?
Dylan added, “I really hope she’s worth it, Gareth, because Sofia is going to be livid if you’re not here.”
Translated to, I won’t forgive you, Gareth, so don’t fuck up. “You can tell that beautiful bride-to-be that I will be home not only for the wedding, but also to throw your ass one hell of a bachelor party.”
“At least I know you wouldn’t miss that. Keep in touch though. Too many changes lately, and it’s left me feeling . . . uneasy.”
“Is something going on that I don’t know about?” Gareth assumed he was the only one keeping secrets. That was a foolish assumption.
“Brice called me last night.”
“What did he want?” Gareth asked.
“That’s what was odd. I don’t think he wanted anything. Just called to say hello.”
Gareth wasn’t buying that. “That’s good, I guess.”
“Nothing is ever that simple, Gareth, and you know it. If a Henderson calls, they want something. Guess time will reveal what that is.”
Yeah, they want to keep a close eye on us.That only confirmed Gareth’s initial thoughts. Brice wasn’t keeping his family abreast of any new developments. Because he doesn’t know what shit we’re hiding. It was so tempting to come clean with Brice and lay all the cards on the table. But he didn’t trust Brice to be totally honest. And why should Brice be? He had nothing to gain by divulging their secrets and everything to lose.
He didn’t want Dylan worrying or even thinking about the Hendersons right now. “Who knows or cares what Brice’s motive was for calling? Your name has been on the news lately with your upcoming nuptials. He might have been looking for an invite. You didn’t extend one, did you?”
“Hell no. If I had my way, I’d elope. You would not believe what Sofia’s parents are planning. And with Sofia being pregnant, she is too . . . emotional for me to talk to her about it.”
Gareth laughed. “Is it too early for me to say I told you so? If you’re not careful, you’ll be buying a house with a white picket fence and getting a puppy.”
“Glad you think this is funny, Gareth. Better watch yourself or you might come back from your trip hitched yourself,” Dylan joked.
“There’s not enough booze in the world for that to happen.” Gareth could hear Sofia calling out for Dylan. “Guess that is your cue to hang up. See you in a few weeks.”
“Make it two. I’ll talk to you later. She wants to go out for ice cream.” In barely a whisper, Dylan added, “Our freezer is full of it, but somehow none of it is the kind she’s craving. How the hell did Dad do this six times?”
Laughing, Gareth said, “Now you know why he worked so much. I suggest you find that flavor fast or it won’t matter when I return.”
Gareth ended the call and silently wished his brother luck. Sofia wasn’t close to her delivery date, and he wasn’t sure how Dylan was going to survive this. The last time he saw Dylan, he looked like he’d been out partying for days. And everyone says settling down is good for you. It looks like it’s gonna kill him instead. Yet another reason to remain single as far as he was concerned.
Since he was single, there was nothing holding him back from enjoying the company of that beauty, Brooke. And if he was lucky, he might be able to obtain some information from her as well. After all, she worked for them. Even if she didn’t have any dirty little secrets about them, she would have a personal opinion of who she thought they were.